Aganju
| Aganju | |
|---|---|
| Member of Orisha | |
| Other names | Aganju |
| Venerated in | Yoruba religion, Umbanda, Candomble, Santeria, Haitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism |
| Region | Nigeria, Benin, Brazil |
| Ethnic group | Yoruba people, Fon people |
| Equivalents | |
| Catholic equivalent | Saint Christopher |
Aganju (known as Agayú or Aganyú in Latin America) is an Orisha. He is syncretized with Saint Christopher. Aganju is strongly associated with Shango, being either Shango's father or his brother; both Orishas being members of the deified royal family of Oyo.
Yoruba religion
In the Yoruba areas of Nigeria and Benin Republic, Aganju is known as a deified warrior king from the town of Shaki in the present-day Oyo State of Nigeria. He was said to walk with a sword. Shaki is in the savannah area of northern Yorubaland that has monoliths and boulder outcroppings.
Santería (Lucumí/Regla de Ocha)
In Cuba, Aganju is a volcano deity for the practitioners of Santeria/Lucumi religion. But there are no volcanoes in Yorubaland, nor is Aganju associated with volcanoes among the Yoruba people.
Candomblé
In the Afro-Brazilian tradition of Candomblé, Aganjú is worshiped as a manifestation or quality of the Orisha Shango, often called Xango Aganjú. Aganjú represents all that is explosive and lacking control. He is also nicknamed "Xangô menino" among Candomblé practitioners.
References
Further reading
- Jo Anna Hunter, Oro Pataki Aganju: A Cross Cultural Approach Towards the Understanding of the Fundamentos of the Orisa Aganju in Nigeria and Cuba, In Orisa Yoruba God and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora, edited by Toyin Falola, Ann Genova. New Jersey: Africa World Press, Inc. 2006.
- Charles Spencer King., "Nature's Ancient Religion" ISBN 978-1-4404-1733-7
- Charles Spencer King, "IFA Y Los Orishas: La Religion Antigua De LA Naturaleza" ISBN 1-4610-2898-1